The majority of fish sticks are classified as “carcinogenic.”

Of the 19 different fish stick manufacturers, most of them are from Eco test to fail. During their inspections, product inspectors discovered the presence of carcinogens, which were mainly found in the bread.

Nearly two-thirds of fish fingers pose a health risk

Typically, fish fingers consist of one-third bread and two-thirds fish—usually Alaskan pollock, pollack, cod or Pacific hake. Most producers pre-fry the fish, but this was not the case with only one company examined.

In general, fish fingers are also quick to prepare. The Öko test talks about the average time spent in the deep fryer being half a minute. However, testers became aware of harmful substances created during the frying process. “In our opinion, eleven of the 19 products tested contained excessive amounts of these lipid contaminants,” the report says.

In most cases these are esters of the 3-MCPD fatty acid. Glycidyl fatty acid esters were also encountered twice. It is converted in the digestive system to 3-MCPD or glycidol. An animal experiment conducted by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) showed that these substances are carcinogenic and mutagenic.

Fish fingers impress in terms of cleanliness and taste

However, when it comes to cleanliness, the tests showed an almost entirely positive picture. Only once did the laboratory detect a total number of bacteria that was higher than the guideline value of the German Society for Hygiene and Microbiology (DGHM).

In the taste test, the fish fingers also received a score of “very good.” Bread separation and fibrous taste in some cases did not change the top grade. However, when it comes to sustainable fishing, fish sticks from health food stores fail.